Improvement in water-wheels



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN N. WOLFE, OF LANCASTER, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN WATER-WHEELS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 56,654, dated July 24,1866.

ATo all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, JOHN N. WOLFE, of Lancaster, in the county ofFairfield and State of Ohio, have invented an Improved Water- Wheel, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention consists of ahorizontal waterwheel having a series ofbuckets of improved form and construction, and in the combinationtherewith of a device for feeding the water to the wheel, whereby agreater amount of power is derived from a givensupply of water than isdone by the wheels in ordinary use.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan of my improved wheel.Fig.2 is a vertical section through the line xm, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is adetail View of the gate or shutter for closing the vents through whichthe water is laid on the wheel.

A is the bed of the iume or channel from which the water is fed upthrough the passage B to the wheel. (l is a cast-iron cylinder havingtwo longitudinal openings, a a., (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1,)opposite eachother, in its sides. b b are shutters or gates for closing,either wholly or partially, the openings a a. These gates are operatedby a lever, f, put through the post or shaft d, which has at its lowerend a cross-piece, c, to which one end of each of the rods c c isattached. The other end of each of the rods c is bent up and attached tothe shutters or gates b b bymeans of the hook 7s in such a manner thatthe said gates are both operated equally to close or partially close theopenings a a when the shaft d is turned by the lever f.

l1. is a1 bar or rod secured at each end to the sides of the cylinder O.It guides the upper ends of the gates or shutters b b, and the lowerends of said shutters run in channels or grooves secured to the vinsideof the cylinder C, as secu at m in Fig. 2.

D D are the buckets of the wheel, arranged at equal distances, as shownin blue lines in Fig. 1, between the ilangesE E, the Whole being cast inone piece. On the inner end of each bucket there is a iiange, g,extending out from its face, so as to throw the water as it comesthrough the openings a a more forcibly against the face of the bucket,and thus increase the power of its action.

F is a circular cover, which closes the top of the cylinder C andfurnishes a support for the shaft Gr and also for the wheel, which issuspended from the said shaft by means of the arms i. The cover F may besecured tothe cylinder G by bolts or other fastenings, as desired. Thecylinder C is bolted or otherwise secured to the box H. The feed channelshould, of course, be separated by a lproper bulk-head orpartition fromthe wheel, so that water coming from that direction can reach the wheelonly through the channel B and openings a.

In operation, the water is conducted from a proper reservoir to thechannel B, and through this channel to the interior of the cylinder C.On sliding back the gates b b the water is allowed to escape through theopenings a a, and is thus laid in an unbroken column on the buckets D.As it strikes the said buckets the iianges g throw it forcibly into thesharp bend of the buckets, whence, after a portion of its force isexpended, it continues to act on the remainder of the bucket until it isliberated and allowed to pass out by the revolution of the wheel. Theamountl ot' water consumed and the consequent power exerted by the wheelmay be diminished, when. desired, by partially closing the openings aaby means of the gates b b.

The advantages which I claim for my wheel are cheapuess of construction,durability, great power when compared with the amount of water used,ease of operating the gates, which are simple in construction and notliable'to get out of order, and, from the shape of the bucket, a morebeneficial action ofthe water when laid upon it.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claiml. The buckets B,constructed as herein set forth, in combination with the openings a a,substantially as specified.

2. The combination of the gates b b, constructed and operated asdescribed, with the chambers C and buckets B, substantially as hereinset forth.

JOHN N. WOLFE.

Witnesses:

J. A. BEAM, FLORA BEAM.

